DUBLIN (Reuters) – Irish health chiefs believe a new variant of the coronavirus found in neighbouring Britain is present in Ireland, but not solely responsible for a rapid spread in the disease.
The likely presence of the more infectious variant is based on preliminary data from a selection of samples from last the weekend, the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) said in a statement.
The number of people in Ireland infected by someone who has COVID-19 – the so-called reproduction number – has risen to 1.5 to 1.8, the highest level since March. NPHET also made fresh unspecified recommendations to government, a day after ministers significantly tightened COVID-19 restrictions.
(Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
